When it comes to the news, my dad is, hands down, the most well-read person on the planet. And that is not an exaggeration. We’ve been getting 13+ papers delivered to the house for as long as I can remember. While I understand Dad does not seem to be terribly concerned about deforestation and Karma is going to be a bitch when it comes to global responsibility, my father likes the feel of the actual paper. He reads them cover to cover, his fingers often smudged grey from the ink which has been rubbing off on them for the last 70 odd years.
I, admittedly, get my news in soundbites. Yahoo scrolls or Google alerts or, in a pinch, trending tweets. However, this morning, I found myself getting up early and rather than diving into various projects, I took a luxurious two hours to read The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun. And it was eye opening. When you read beyond Trump’s latest remarks and top of mind horrific tragedies, there are some really interesting articles, reviews and human interest stories. I discovered two new books I want to read, learned about one couple’s trek across the world in twenty days and got an in-depth story about one of my favorite actresses, Janet McTeer who is performing in Shakespeare in the Park.
I love my dad. I remember in my first acting class, the teacher asked two dozen of us how many of us came from fucked up childhoods and were in therapy. I was the only person who didn’t raise my hand and I immediately thought “What’s wrong with me?”. Nothing. It’s perfectly okay; albeit, not terribly dramatic, to have deliciously loving parents who are good, loving and supportive people. I would not have become the person I am today without my parents’ support. And my dad, when not reading newspapers and teaching students the ins and outs about Soviet policy towards the Middle East, has always been front row center: whether it was coming to my plays or to every one of my lacrosse games – rain or shine.
So, while my father is currently at a conference in Israel making his own indentation in the news, pontificating about Middle East politics, I am honoring him by reading three of his thirteen papers.
Happy Father’s Day Daddy, you are, hands down, the best.
